Wed May 09, 2007 at 08:04:43 AM PDT

Ellen Tauscher sits on the House Armed Services Committee. Today they may attempt to put a rider in the defense authorization bill that would restore the great writ of habeas corpus, which allows detainees to petition the courts to understand why they are being held. This time-honored tradition of civilization, dating back to 1215 and the Magna Carta, was shamefully stripped out by the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

Matt Stoller is urging everyone to contact members of the panel to ask them to support the restoration of habeas corpus. If you have a free moment today, call Ellen Tauscher at 202-225-1880 and ask her to defend the Constitution by making it whole again. We cannot be credibly considered any kind of moral leader in the world if we detain people indefinitely without telling them why they are charged.

The full list of members of Congress to call is here. But I would pay particular attention to Congresswoman Tauscher, who claims to be in line with the concerns of her district, who claims to be a progressive. The progressive position is not to torture and not to store people away in secret prisons without end.

UPDATE: Tauscher "vows to support habeas corpus" and "will be an original co-sponsor of Skelton's bill, which is expected to be introduced next week." This is good news.